There are plenty of good reasons for getting together with other local residents to swap home grown produce.
For you
- add variety to your diet
- save money
- gain inspiration, ideas and knowledge about gardening and cooking (and much more!)
- meet others you wouldn't normally meet
- make friends in your local area
- feel more connected to your local community
- enjoy fresh air, good company and great food in your local green space
For your community
- strengthen local communities
- encourage 'organic' (naturally occurring and developing) spontaneous links within local communities
- reduce isolation and provide a connection point for members of the community including elderly residents and those newly arrived from other places
For your environment
- cutting food miles
- reducing food waste, packaging, transportation
- optimising the use of urban space for sustainability by encouraging backyard food production and making it more viable and rewarding
- celebrating and encouraging biodiversity within local areas
- encouraging residents to leave their houses on foot, to cultivate friendships and networks within their local area, and to use and enjoy their local open spaces
- offering an alternative model of exchange, based on sharing, which values intangibles (time, knowledge, skill, friendship) as well as tangible goods (such as fruit, vegetables, seeds, plants, home baking and preserves, and more) without the need to reduce these many dimensions of value to a single currency (ie, money)
- encouraging more sustainable practices in home-grown food - for example, methods of designing, shading and irrigating gardens; sharing seeds, cuttings, plants and seedlings, rather than purchasing nursery-grown plants; re-using and sharing materials
- increasing the resilience, skills and knowledge base of the community for sustainable living, through informal community networks focused on food and eating
Community Fruit & Vege Swaps are informal community gatherings with a focus on food production, preparation and preservation - gardening and eating! - which are central issues in sustainable living.
To register your interest for a workshop in your area or to get personalised help and support to start your own swap, contact Mark at City of Charles Sturt on 8408 1138, or via email at mhannan@charlessturt.sa.gov.au